Oil vaporizer

ABSTRACT

A fuel oil vaporizer for separating the volatile components from the nonvolatile components and feeding the volatile components to the inlet manifold of a diesel engine thus permitting the use of low-grade fuel oils in diesel engines.

O United States Patent 151 3,649,230 Moore 5] Mar. 14, 1972 [54] OILVAPORIZER 788,405 4/1905 Hock ..48/102 1 053,282 2/1913 Dean ..48/l02[72] Inventor: Alexander G. Moore 700 St. George Street, Moncton Newbrunswick Canada 2,384,472 9/1945 Landers, Jr ..48/102 [22] Filed: Aug.18, 1969 Primary Examiner-Morris O. Wolk [21] Appl' 843030 AssistantExaminerR. E. Serwin Attorney-Fetherstonhaugh & Co. [30] ForeignApplication Priority Data e r 7 Apr. 21, 1969 Canada ..49,333 [57]ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl .48/l02 R, 48/102 A, 48/211,

123/133 A fuel oil vaporizer for separating the volatile components [51]Int. Cl ..F02m 21/02, FOZm 31/00 from the nonvolatile components andfeeding the volatile 0i A, components to the inlet manifold of a enginethus per- 259-9 mitting the use oflow-grade fuel oils in diesel engines.

[56] References Cited 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS2,283,643 5/1942 Nagel ..48/102 X 23 22 T l s l PATENTEDHAR 14 I972SHEET 1 BF 3 FIG. 1

ATTORNEYS PAIENTEBMAR 14 m2 SHEET 2 BF 3 v TORNEYS SHEET 3 [IF 3 FIG. 3

INVENTORS A. G. MOORE ATTORNEYS OIL VAPORIZER BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention is directed to fuel oil vaporizers andin particular to fuel oil vaporizers for use in association with dieselengines.

At the present time the lower grades of fuel oil cannot be used withdiesel engines Such oils contain substantial amounts of nonvolatile andnoncombustible materials which, if fed into the cylinder of an internalcombustion engine, would cause excessive wear and greatly increasedoperational costs.

The lower grades of fuel oil, such as bunker C," cost considerably lessthan the refined grades. The economic advantages which could be obtainedfrom the use of such lower grades of fuel oil in internal combustionengines are quite impressive.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of thepresent invention to provide a process for removing the nonvolatiles andnoncombustibles from low-grade fuel oils so that these fuels would besuitable for use in internal combustion engines.

Accordingly there is provided a process for vaporizing fuel oil whichcomprises a spraying a fuel oil containing volatile and nonvolatilecomponents from a spray means so that the oil impinges on a heatedsurface causing the volatile component in the fuel oil to vaporize. Thevaporized volatile component of the fuel oil is then conveyed away fromthe area adjacent to the spray means and the residue comprising thenonvolatile component of the fuel oil is collected and removed from thearea adjacent to the spray means.

There is also provided a vaporizer for fuel oil which comprises a vesselhaving a heated surface, spray means adapted to spray fuel oil on saidheated surface, heater means located exteriorly of said vessel to heatsaid surface sufficiently to vaporize said fuel oil spray, a vaporoutlet from said vessel, and scraper means at the base of said vessel tocollect the nonvolatile residue from said oil spray.

SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS The following is a description by way of exampleof certain embodiments of the present invention reference being had tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of a fuel vaporizer of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of a larger and more complex vaporizer ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the vaporizer used in association with adiesel engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGSReferring to the vaporizer illustrated in FIG. 1, during start up ofthis unit, propane gas is injected through the fuel tube 1] to theburner ring 12. Combustion air is introduced through the air tube 13 toair defuser ring 14 which is located beneath the burner ring 12 and hasopenings on its upper surface to distribute the combustion air. Thegas/air mixture is ignited above the burner 12 by means of an electricalspark plug which is not shown. Combustion takes place between thecombustion cylinder 15 and vaporizing cylinder 16. Heat transferred byconduction then raises the temperature of the vaporizing cylinder 16 toits operational temperature. The combustion gases are vented to theatmosphere through the side outlet 17 near the top ofcylinder 15.

When the vaporizing cylinder 16 has reached its operational temperatureas indicated for example by a pyrometer sensing at the vaporizing areaon the inside of cylinder 16 the operator may then cause fuel oil,preheated to approximately l90 F., to be introduced to the spray nozzle18 located centrally in the base of cylinder 16. As the preheated fueloil leaves the spray nozzle 18 it impinges on the heated cylinder 16.This metal cylinder 16 is heated to a temperature sufficient to vaporizethe fuel oil. It has been found that a temperature of approximatelyl,000 C. is satisfactory for a lower grade of fuel oil such as bunker C.The nonvolatile and noncombustible solid ash released during thevaporization phase falls to the base of cylinder 16 where rotatingscraper device 19, driven by gear 50 and drive shaft 51, collects italong the circular base plate 20 and causes it to fall through adischarge port at ash hole 21. At this point it may be collected in asealed container, which is not shown, for periodic removal.

After the initial vaporization on the sidewalls of cylinder 16 the fuelvapor passes up the vaporizing cylinder 16 picking up additional heatfrom the cylinder walls and then leaves through the manifold port 22 toenter the supply manifold 23.

With the supply manifold now at operation pressure, the operator maybleed off" a sufficient portion of the vapor from the manifold 23 to theburner ring 12 to replace and eliminate the use of the propane requiredat start up. This changeover from propane to vapor may be accomplishedthrough automatic controls that simultaneously reduce the propane flowwhile increasing the oil vapor flow to the burner ring 12. Further, thevapor may pass through a pressure reducing valve arrangement to reducethe vapor manifold pressure to that of the propane.

A somewhat larger and more complex vaporizer is illustrated in FIGS. 2and 3. The operation of this vaporizer is as follows.

To start up the vaporizer, propane gas is injected into the flame tube30 and through to the burner 31. Combustion air is introduced into theair tube 32 which surrounds flame tube 30. The gas/air mixture isignited above the burner 31 by means of an electrical spark plug 33.Combustion takes place in cylinder 34 which raises the temperature ofthe vaporizing cylinder composed of lower cylinder 35, transition piece36, and upper cylinder 37 to an operational temperature which issufficiently high to vaporize the fuel oil. In practice a temperature ofapproximately 1,000 F. has been found to be satisfactory for thispurpose. After combustion the combustion gases are vented to theatmosphere through the top of cylinder 34.

When the vaporizing cylinder 35 has reached its operational temperatureas indicated for example by a pyrometer sensing at the vaporizingcylinder 35 the operator may cause the fuel oil preheated toapproximately F. to be introduced into one or all of the spray nozzles38. When the demand for vaporized oil is low, one nozzle operating maybe sufficient.

As the oil leaves the nozzle head 38 and impinges on the heated cylinder35 it is vaporized. The nonvolatile and noncombustible material releasedduring vaporization falls to the base cylinder 35 where a rotatingscraper device 44 collects it along circular base plate 39 and causes itto fall through a port discharging at ash hole 40. At this point it maybe collected in a container, which is not shown, for periodic removal.

After the initial vaporization in cylinder 35 the vapor passes through alouvred vapor screen 41 and travels upwardly through the space betweenthe combustion cylinder 34 and upper vaporizing cylinder 37 where itpicks up additional heat. This heat transferred to the vapor may beincreased by incorporating fins or pins or some such other device intothe walls of the combustion cylinder 34. The vaporized fuel oil continueon through header 42 at approximately l,000 F. to the manifold 43.

The pressure in the cylinder 35 can, of course, be quite high and apressure of 600 to 1,000 p.s.i. has been found to give excellentresults. At this pressure and operating at a temperature of about 1,000F., the fuel oil is vaporized to give a vapor having a density of about60 percent that of the liquid fuel oil.

As the vapor collects and pressure is built up within the vaporizingcylinder 37, the pressure at the spray nozzle 38 is increasedaccordingly. Modulating type controls may be used to maintain thispressure throughout the operating cycle of the vaporizer.

With the manifold 43 now at operational pressure the operator may bleedoff" a sufficient portion of the vapor from the manifold 43, via pipe 57shown in FIG. 3, to the flame tube 30 to replace and eliminate thepropane required at start up. This changeover from propane to vapor maybe accomplished through automatic control valve 58 that wouldsimultaneously reduce the propane flow while increasing the vapor flowto the flame tube 30. Further, the vapor passes through a pressurereducing valve arrangement 59 which reduces the vapor manifold pressureto that of the propane. Now that changeover is complete the vaporizer isfully operational.

F 10. 3 illustrates the vaporizer when operated in association with adiesel engine, the engine being controlled from the normal existingthrottle and governor.

Studying this figure it will be seen that the propane is fed to thevaporizer 51 by pipe 52. The fuel oil is fed from the fuel oil tank 53via pipes 54 to the nozzles 38. The vaporized fuel oil leaves from thetop of the vaporizer, travels along manifold 43 through pipe 55 to thediesel engine 56. When the vaporizer is at operational temperaturevaporized fuel oil is bled off from the manifold 43 through pipe 57 tovalve 58 on the propane line 52. Thus it is possible to gradually reducethe flow of propane and finally operate exclusively on fuel oil.

A decrease in manifold pressure activates automatic external controls tocompensate for this loss by modulating fuel oil flow to the nozzle 38and thus restore and maintain the operat ing manifold pressure.Depending on operation requirements of the engine, one or more or all ofthe nozzles 38 may be in operation at any one time.

The principle of prevaporization of the fuel, the extraction of thenonvolatile and noncombustibles externally of the engine cylinder andthe injection of vapor instead of atomized fuel into the cylinder of theengine assures a more complete combustion and smokeless operation of theunit.

Further, adapting the vaporizer unit to an existing diesel enginerequires no extensive modifications to the diesel engine itself.Basically adaption of an existing diesel engine is achieved by removingthe existing fuel oil lines and installing gas lines to the new vaporsupply manifold which in turn is connected to the discharge port of thevaporizer unit.

Inasmuch as the vapor is delivered to the engine at approximately 1,000temperature and approximately 600 p.s.i., the fuel pump will, as before,meter the gas to the injector. However, since volume of the vapor isapproximately 0.97 cu. ft. per imp. gallon of oil vaporized, theinjector capacity may need to be increased as fuel requirements of theengine dictate.

lclaim:

1. In a vaporizer for fuel oil containing volatile and nonvolatilecomponents, the combination ofa vertically elongated vaporizing chamberdefined by at least one substantially cylindrical wall, means forheating said wall, means provided in the lower portion of said chamberfor spraying fuel oil onto the heated wall so that volatile componentsof the oil are vaporized and rise in the chamber while nonvolatilecomponents fall as residue to the bottom of the chamber, said chamberhaving an outlet at the top thereof for the vaporized volatilecomponents, and disposal means at the bottom of the chamber for removingthe residue therefrom.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a second substantiallycylindrical wall surrounding the first mentioned wall in spacedrelation, said first and second walls defining a heating chambertherebetween, said vaporizing chamber existing within the first wall andthe oil spraying means in the vaporizing chamber being adapted to sprayoil onto the inner surface of the first wall, said heating means beingdisposed in said heating chamber for heating the outer surface of thefirst wall.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a second substantiallycylindrical wall surrounding the first mentioned wall in spacedrelation, said first and second walls defining said vaporizing chambertherebetween, said first wall defining a heating chamber therewithin,said oil spraying means in the vaporizing chamber being adapted to sprayoil onto the outer surface of the first wall, and said heating meansbeing disposed in said heating chamber for heating the inner surface ofthe first wall.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said oil spraying meanscomprise at least one spray nozzle.

5. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said heating means comprisea gas burner.

6. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said heating means comprisea gas burner, together with means for supplying fuel to said burner fromsaid outlet of vaporized volatile components.

7. A process for vaporizing fuel oil containing volatile and nonvolatilecomponents, comprising the steps of (a) heating a wall of a verticallyelongated vaporizing chamber, (b) spraying fuel oil onto the heated wallso that volatile components of the oil are vaporized and rise in thevaporizing chamber while nonvolatile components fall as residue to thebottom of the chamber, (c) withdrawing the vaporized volatile componentsfrom the top of the chamber, and (d) removing the residue from thebottom of the chamber.

8 The process as defined in claim 7 which is further characterized inthat the vaporizing chamber wall is heated from one side and the fueloil is sprayed on the opposite side of the wall.

9. The process as defined in claim 7 which is further characterized inthat the vaporizing chamber wall is heated by a gas burner, togetherwith the additional step of utilizing a portion of the vaporizedvolatile components withdrawn from said chamber as fuel for said gasburner.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a second substantiallycylindrical wall surrounding the first mentioned wall in spacedrelation, said first and second walls defining a heating chambertherebetween, said vaporizing chamber existing within the first wall andthe oil spraying means in the vaporizing chamber being adapted to sprayoil onto the inner surface of the first wall, said heating means beingdisposed in said heating chamber for heating the outer surface of thefirst wall.
 3. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a secondsubstantially cylindrical wall surrounding the first mentioned wall inspaced relation, said first and second walls defining said vaporizingchamber therebetween, said first wall defining a heating chambertherewithin, said oil spraying means in the vaporizing chamber beingadapted to spray oil onto the outer surface of the first wall, and saidheating means being disposed in said heating chamber for heating theinner surface of the first wall.
 4. The device as defined in claim 1wherein said oil spraying means comprise at least one spray nozzle. 5.The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said heating means comprise agas burner.
 6. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said heatingmeans comprise a gas burner, together with means for supplying fuel tosaid burner from said outlet of vaporized volatile components.
 7. Aprocess for vaporizing fuel oil containing volatile and nonvolatilecomponents, comprising the steps of (a) heating a wall of a verticallyelongated vaporizing chamber, (b) spraying fuel oil onto the heated wallso that volatile components of the oil are vaporized and rise in thevaporizing chamber while nonvolatile components fall as residue to thebottom of the chamber, (c) withdrawing the vaporized volatile componentsfrom the top of the chamber, and (d) removing the residue from thebottom of the chamber.
 8. The process as defined in claim 7 which isfurther characterized in that the vaporizing chamber wall is heated fromone side and the fuel oil is sprayed on the opposite side of the wall.9. The process as defined in claim 7 which is further characterized inthat the vaporizing chamber wall is heated by a gas burner, togetherwith the additional step of utilizing a portion of the vaporizedvolatile components withdrawn from said chamber as fuel for said gasburner.